. By banning the documentary, the Indian political class and their supporters managed to turn a mediocre documentary into a symbol of free speech; offer damning "evidence" of our cultural blindness to the plight of our own citizens; and render invisible the critical and concerted resistance of Indians against such violence. The long-standing paranoia the Indian government displays against foreign journalists achieves exactly the same effects. #Annette G. Beck-Sickinger#BBC documentary#German Professor#Leslee Udwin#Sabrina Buckwalter

One can make endless fun of the government’s Red Queen-like capriciousness, but the jokes begin to wear thin when we recognise why the words ‘mad’ and ‘dictator’ go so well together. The arbitrary and unpredictable use of power is the essence of dictatorship. That our government can so willfully and ludicrously wield power is no laughing matter, after all. #APPG#Delhi HC#doodh mein makhi#Greenpeace#Home Ministry#Priya Pillai#UK